This invention relates to precast concrete ramps, and more particularly to precast concrete ramps designed to aid the travel of the physically challenged, along with the forms used to fabricate such ramps.
In the prior art of ramps for the physically challenged, it is known to fabricate the ramps from materials such as timber, metal (e.g., aluminum) or poured concrete. These ramps are intended to aid the physically challenged in their travel either into or out of, or within buildings. The ramps remove architectural, physical and transportational barriers that prevent a business or public building from being accessible to, or usable by, individuals with physical disabilities.
The problems with prior-art ramps fabricated from such materials include the relatively high cost of installation of poured concrete ramps, along with the fact that such ramps are permanently installed, thus making their moving or retrofitting, if ever desired, difficult. Also, timber and metal ramps may deteriorate over time, necessitating their replacement. As these materials deteriorate, they may pose a hazard to travelers.
Regarding public buildings, the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") was signed into law on Jul. 26, 1990. Title III of the ADA (42 U.S.C. .sctn.12181 et seq.), regarding Public Accommodations (effective Jan. 26, 1992), requires existing buildings and new buildings to be constructed, to provide ramps for access by the physically challenged to/from or within public buildings. The ADA also specifies certain requirements for features of the ramps. For example, the slope of the ramps must not exceed a one-inch rise for every twelve inches of length. The width of the ramp shall not be less than forty-eight inches as measured at the inside of the railings. Also, each ramp shall have level platforms for turning and resting, which shall be forty-eight inches minimum on a side in clearance, and unobstructed by door swings, entrances, or other projections. Such platforms shall occur at intervals of sloping ramp sections not exceeding thirty-two feet, wherever a ramp changes direction, and at the top and bottom of the ramp.
Many buildings are currently not in compliance with the ADA. In choosing a ramp to meet the requirements of the ADA, factors to be considered include the cost and time of installation, the amount of site excavation required, the amount of disruption to the public and the entities conducting business within the buildings, and the permanence of such ramp structures.
In light of these factors, poured concrete ramps are undesirable. Poured concrete ramps are taken to mean those ramps fabricated by first assembling a form at the exact intended location of the ramp, mixing concrete and pouring it into the form, and then removing the form once the concrete has hardened. Also, timber and metal may be difficult to adapt to existing building designs, and also may be aesthetically unattractive. Further, in order for timber ramps to meet ADA requirements, they need continual maintenance. For example, depending upon the amount of usage, approximately every other year the surface of a timber ramp over which persons traverse must be either painted with a sand paint or the applied non-skid surface must be replaced.
It is known in the art to provide prefabricated concrete ramps. Such ramps are fabricated off-site and transported to the site for assembly. An example of these ramps are those provided by E-Z Ramp of Beverly, Mass. Such ramps have a concrete slab for travel thereupon. The slab is elevated off the ground and supported by vertically-oriented steel pipes which extend above the top surface of the slab to serve also as guardrails. However, the integrity of the interface between the concrete slab and the steel pipes of these ramps may deteriorate over time due to oxidation, thereby posing a hazard. Also, since the steep pipes are each supported by individual steel base plates, the ramp may be prone to instability (i.e., movement) due to, e.g., frost heaves.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved prefabricated (i.e., "precast") concrete ramp and a method and apparatus for making such ramp.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a precast concrete ramp that is easily installable with minimal disturbance to existing buildings and with little or no site excavation required.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a precast concrete ramp that is sectional in form, thereby allowing for easy adaptability to different overall ramp configurations and for removal and reuse, if desired.
It is still another general object of the present invention to provide a precast concrete ramp that is manufactured off-site using novel and efficient manufacturing forms and techniques.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a prefabricated concrete ramp that provides for cost-effective compliance with the ADA, and is of low cost relative to poured concrete ramps.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a precast concrete ramp that is impervious to weather and will not rot or decay over time.
The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent when the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.